High Cheese

Jimmy Rollins has signed a 3-year, $33 million contract with the Phillies, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today.

Rollins, 33, the longest-tenured professional athlete in Philadelphia, has a vesting option for 2015 at $11 million. If it is not vested, the club option would be $8 million and the player option would be $5 million.

“Jimmy has been an integral part of this franchise’s recent success and is arguably the best shortstop in club history,” Amaro said in a statement. “He also stands to be one of the Phillies’ all-time greatest players. This contract ensures that he will be with us at a time when we hope to continue this recent run of division titles. Jimmy clearly gives us the best chance to bring a World Series title back to Philadelphia and we are looking forward to the next several years with him at his home at the shortstop position.”

Rollins has spent his entire professional career in the Phillies' organization. He was drafted in the second round of the 1996 draft. In 2011, he batted .268 with 16 home runs, 63 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 142 games.

“We took everything into consideration when you've been somewhere since you were 17,” Rollins said at a news conference this evening. “To go somewhere new, in my situation, the second part of my career, you feel like you're a rented player. You're not part of the process of building the team up. Here in Philadelphia, I've been here since I was 17. The first day I got here, in the big leagues, it was about making this team a contender and eventually a champion. Those things have been accomplished.”

He was the 2007 NL MVP award winner, a three-time All-Star and three-time Golden Glove winner. Over his 11-year career, Rollins has a .272 batting average with 170 home runs and 725 RBI in 1,636 games.